


They Say It's Your Birthday

by callmejude



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 11:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmejude/pseuds/callmejude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for the kink meme prompt: These two have worked together for many years, and obviously have had to continue working through special occasions, including their birthdays. I know they strongly disliked each other, but deep down they are good friends and I'd love to see anything (slashy or friendshippy) showing how they acknowledge or celebrate birthdays. I'm betting Newt is secretly into baking and Hermann comes in one day on his birthday not expecting anyone to even know, only to find a Kaiju shaped cake on his desk with a sparkler or a candle stuck messily in the centre. Or or or Newt comes in on his 30th birthday and he's like depressed and absurdly quiet for the day cause he's not ready to be that old and Hermann realizes why he's being all docile so he takes off at lunch only to return with pizza and stuff to cheer Newt up and celebrate his birthday. OR YOU KNOW ANYTHING YOU WANT.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Say It's Your Birthday

They've been working together eleven months. They don't talk often, at this point. Hermann is under no illusions of his social ineptitude, and he and Newton Geiszler don't seem to have much in common other than German fathers. Newton is kind, but strange, and often very loud, and Hermann is bad at hiding when he is annoyed. Still, they manage to get along, for the most part. At least well enough to work together without harming each other.

But then the day comes that Hermann walks into the lab to see it absolutely spotless. All the kaiju entrails are neatly put away in glass jars, the floors are swept, Hermann's notes are even in chronological order. The thing that he finds strangest, however, is a large cake sitting on his desk covered in ridiculously intricate designs of a kaiju stretching across the width of it. In its open mouth, a small grouping of candles are lit.

"What...?" Hermann manages, staring blankly down at it, as if afraid something vile is going to jump out.

Newton looks up from what he's writing down and smiles. "It's your birthday, right? I thought I heard the Marshall mention it once."

Hermann isn't even sure how the Marshall knows his birthday. He doesn't hide the fact from anyone, but he's past the age where birthdays are anything more than another day, so he never makes a point of telling anyone, either. He squints at him and then looks back at the cake. "You - you got me a cake?"

Newton's smile widens. "I uh, made that actually." When Hermann's eyes widen he shrugs flippantly, but Hermann can tell he's proud of it. "I worked at a bakery to put myself through college," he tells him. "I hope chocolate's okay. Is chocolate okay? Jeez I just realized I probably should've asked. You could be allergic or something. I guess if you can't eat the cake you'll still appreciate I cleaned the lab up but I really wanted you to have cake."

He rambles for several seconds before Hermann takes pity on him and cuts him off. "Chocolate's...Chocolate's fine," he assures him. Honestly, he can't remember the last time he had chocolate cake, but Newton beams at him, so he decides it's worth it.

"Good," he says cheerfully before going back to his work.

The next day, it's like it hadn't even happened. Newton doesn't mention it and goes about his day as normal, but Hermann can't help but go easy on him when he drops a kaiju lung on his side of the lab.

Contrary to popular belief, Hermann likes being nice. He just feels that niceness is something you earn, not something that just gets handed to you simply because you're around. Anyway, if you're always nice, no one's going to appreciate it when you are.

Newton Geiszler, however, has earned it. At least once, anyway. Hermann sidles up to the Marshall in the cafeteria several days after his own birthday and asks nervously, "You wouldn't happen to know Dr. Geiszler's birthday, would you?"

Pentecost's face breaks into a sly smile. "Why do you ask, Dr. Gottlieb?" he says with mock confusion.

Trying not to come off as too embarrassed, Hermann says hurriedly, "Well, apparently you had no qualms sharing mine with him."

Mako, who had been sitting quietly on the Marshall's lap, piped up, "Newt asked about yours!" 

Pentecost smirks and adds, "Ten months ago."

Hermann doesn't quite know what to do with that information. He stares at Pentecost for a moment, who continues chuckling to himself as if the funniest joke in the world is playing out in front of him. Mako, however, is eager to help. "Newt's birthday is in January," she says cheerfully. "January 19th!"

Damn, he'd already missed it. Hermann tries to remember six months ago, if Newton maybe tried to tell him or if he'd been especially snappish to him that day. Nonetheless, birthdays were an annual thing. He'd make sure to make it up to him. "Thank you, Miss Mori," Hermann says gently, bowing slightly. She giggles.

Hermann does his best not to let on that he's sought out any information. If Newton can do it he's _certain_ he can.

Six months pass relatively quickly, and before Hermann knows it the 19th of January is right around the corner and he has no idea what he wants to do at all. He'd extend the same efforts that Newton had, but Hermann doubts a clean lab would mean the same to Dr. Geiszler, and Hermann barely knows all the ingredients that go in a cake. In the end, Hermann finds himself standing awkwardly at Newton's desk until he looks up.

"Come to lunch with me," he says, and it comes out more of an order than an offer, "my treat."

Newton has never looked so excited in the year and a half that he's known him. "WOW, Really?" he bubbles, hopping off his stool and rushing to get his satchel. "Awesome! Where are we going? What're you in the mood for? If you're not picky, I could really go for pizza. Do you like pizza? You kind of don't seem like the type that would like pizza. We can get something else. Does this mean we're friends now?"

"Absolutely not," Hermann answers, but Newton is still grinning, so it must not have had much bite to it.

By the next June 9th, Hermann comes downstairs to a clean desk with a little parcel on top. He opens it to find a book. He rolls his eyes at the title. _Subtle, Geiszler,_ he thinks to himself. Next to the copy of _The Man Who Only Loved Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth_ , there's a piece of paper curled into a tight little tube. It unfurls when he picks it up, and a thin black cord falls out.

He picks up the cord. It takes him a few seconds to realize it's an eyeglass chain. He looks at the paper. _Stop losing your reading glasses, old man. -N_

For a moment, Hermann lets himself smile, but then Newton returns from getting coffee and he scowls, keeping up appearances. Newton grins at him, placing one of the two cups on Hermann's desk. "Happy birthday," he chirps, and goes back to his own desk, which, while still covered in kaiju guts, is kept contained much better than usual.

By the next January 19th, Hermann is better prepared. At least in theory.

However, when Newton comes downstairs to see a scale model replica of Trespasser sitting innocently on his desk, his reaction is foolishly unanticipated.

"HOLY SHIT!" Newton screams, picking it up and inspecting it for a second before looking at Hermann, who before Newton's outburst had been quietly writing on his chalkboard. " _Heilige Scheiße!_ Hermann was this _you?_ " Hermann nods, and Newton sets the figurine down. "You're the man, man!" he says excitedly, "c'mere!"

Hermann doesn't have time to move before Newton crosses the space himself, folding Hermann into a hug. He sputters and tenses, but Newton doesn't seem to notice. The hug only lasts a moment, Newton breaking away after a few seconds to continue rambling about how awesome Hermann is and "Man, Trespasser, too! The one that started it all. Shit, that couldn't have been cheap, you didn't have to do that, really. I owe you big time, this year."

Hermann feels slightly ruffled the whole rest of the day. He almost feels dread for his birthday this year.

When he comes downstairs on the day, however, he's only pleasantly surprised. More than pleasantly. "Newton, this wine is dated before K-Day. This wine is almost as old as _I_ am. How did you get this?"

Newton smiles. "I've got connections," he says breezily. Hermann feels like he should ask if they're legal. "Anyway, you seem like a savory red type of guy so I hope _Pessac-Léognan's_ your thing. I'm gonna feel like an ass if you're more of a rose or white fan."

Hermann just stares at him. He wants to say 'thank you' but it sounds so flat in comparison, and he doesn't know what else to say. "You're...a very surprising man, Dr..." he hesitates, remembering Newton's constant pleas to call him by his nickname, and clears his throat. "Newt."

"Wow," Newton says brightly, "I really did good with this one, huh?"

Hermann smirks. "Quite well, yes."

As the years pass, the tradition continues. Some years the gifts are deeply personal, others they're teasing, or occasionally due to the nature of the world they live in now, rather obviously thrown together at the last minute. Without fail, however, they are always celebrated. 

The rest of the PPDC doesn't seem to notice. The two of them don't really have a lot of contact with the others and therefore have little need to boast about what they received to anyone else. Besides, everyone else in the Shatterdome is convinced they hate each other, and for the most part they'd both swear it to be true. But twice a year they let the facade slide, if only just a little. They don't exactly mean to keep it a secret, but it feels more comfortable that way. Warmer.

The first birthday after they've closed the breach is Newton's, only two weeks after they saved the world. All of PPDC is still getting rather shakily back to its feet, and there's really no need to go down to the lab because there's no more work to be done. If there were, no one would expect it to be done now. So Hermann doesn't bother going down to the lab. Newton will be sleeping in, anyway.

It's a little after ten when he finally decides to knock on Newton's door. He has to try several times, and when Newton answers he's bleary-eyed and yawning and not wearing a shirt, though it takes Hermann a moment to notice with all the garish little monsters covering his skin from neck to waistline. His pajama bottoms, Hermann notes with a quiet pang of fondness, are covered in little Godzillas storming even tinier Tokyos. 

"Good morning," Hermann says gently, handing Newton a cup of coffee. Newton takes it blindly, having left his glasses on his nightstand.

"'Mornin'," Newton responds sleepily. "What's up?"

Hermann takes a sip of his own coffee. "Your age," he answers teasingly.

Newton scoffs. "Dude, you helped me save the planet earlier this month. I'll give you a pass just this once, all right?"

Something about the way he uses the phrase 'just this once,' as if sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that they'll keep in touch despite the lack of need for a kaiju-specific science team makes Hermann's spine feel warm. "I don't need the pass," he says, "but thank you."

Newton perks up at that. "You got me something? Wow, you're smooth. How'd you get me something? What is it?" Newton looks behind Hermann's back, confused, and Hermann smiles. He's trying not to let his hands shake or his voice waver, and smiling is difficult with what's on his mind, but he's fairly confident he's right in this, and fairly confident is as good as he's ever gotten outside of math and physics.

Newton seems to notice he's nervous and asks, "What's my present? Did you bring the infant kaiju back to life for my pet? 'Cause like, I know you hate them but I really wouldn't put it past you some years you get pretty extreme with -"

It's not to shut him up, not really, because Hermann does occasionally love to hear the idiot ramble, but if he didn't stop him now he was going to have to wait all day, and he's just too nervous. Hermann's mouth slides easily over Newton's, which stops moving abruptly, along with the rest of his body for several seconds.

Just as Hermann's about to second-guess himself, Newton's hand springs up and grabs the collar of Hermann's shirt. He kisses back for a second before he has to break away to express himself, as always. "Way better than last year," he says, a little breathlessly, and Hermann huffs.

"That entire set of Godzilla movies? You know, if your sleepwear is anything to go by - I'd only figured he was your favourite, you don't have to act like -"

"Hermann," Newton interrupts, kissing him hard on the mouth before turning his attention to his neck, standing on the balls of his feet to reach. "That present was one of the best ones I'd received in my life, all right?" He says in between kisses. He tugs Hermann down so that they're at a more even level. "I'm trying to say how great this one is, if you were paying attention."

Hermann grins. "You owe me big this year," he says snidely.

"I'll figure something out," Newton answers, tugging him toward his bed.

**Author's Note:**

> lmao the first time the prompt actually suggests Newt to have some angst and it's the first time I don't give him any oh well.
> 
> title from "Birthday Song" by The Beatles


End file.
